THE RAVENS
Newsletter
Southwestern New Mexico Audubon Society
is a Chapter of National Audubon Society, Inc.
swnmaudubon.org
March — April 2017
Friday, MARCH 3rd Program
Genetics and Conservation
Yellowstone, Isle Royale
and Mexican Wolves
Presenter: Phil Hedrick
Wolves were the top predator in many places in the
western United States until they were extirpated.
Efforts to restore wolves have included translocations
to Yellowstone from Canada and introductions to
Arizona from the captive population of Mexican
wolves. On Isle Royale, a national park in Lake Superior,
a wolf population has existed since the 1950s when they
naturally emigrated from Canada. Phil will talk about
genetics and conservation efforts in these three wolf
populations, focusing on the research that he and his
colleagues have carried out.
Phil Hedrick studied genetics at the University of
Minnesota and the University of Chicago. He taught
at the University of Kansas, Penn State University, and
Arizona State University. At ASU he was the Ullman
Professor of Conservation Biology until his retirement
in August. He and his students studied conservation
genetics in a number of endangered species including
bighorn sheep, salmon, topminnows, and wolves. He
and his wife, Cathy Gorman, live most of the time on
the west side of Aravaipa Canyon, AZ and have owned
the old Paradise Ranch in Paradise, AZ for 12 years.
Vol. 50, No. 2
Friday, APRIL 7th Program
Goliath Beetles & Stalk-eyed flies:
to East Africa for Insects
Presenters: Raven Myers and Dale Zimmerman
Serious and amateur naturalists alike, particularly those
with zoological inclinations, long have been intrigued by
Africa’s fauna. Many think about – even dream about -traveling there. For some of us, East and Central Africa
are so alluring as to beckon us back again and again.
If one is susceptible – and many are -- the attraction
soon metamorphoses into a genuine passion, difficult
to ignore.
The initial lure typically starts with the iconic
megafauna or the gorgeous birds, but there is much,
much more, little publicized. Although one never tires
of elephants and giraffes or great hornbills, but the big
animals are increasingly restricted. Smaller creatures,
especially insects, are far more widespread, and their
diversity is notable
Last spring, Raven Myers and Dale Zimmerman spent
several weeks in Kenya and Uganda concentrating
primarily on insects and photographing extensively.
This unusual program will present an aspect of African
wildlife unfamiliar even to those who know Africa well.
A stalk-eyed fly
(family Diopsidae),
widespread in many
mesic places in much
of Kenya (Masai
Mara Reserve, w.
Kenya, June 2016)
Forest Mother-of-pearl, Salamis parhassus, an often common
forest butterfly of mature forests in Uganda and extreme western
Kenya. (Kakamega Forest, w. Kenya, June 2016)
Programs start at 7:00 pm, WNMU’s Harlan Hall, Silver City. Everyone welcome.
Help Support budding birders
and conservationists in Kenya!
There are many researchers,
educators, and conservationists
in Kenya striving to protect birds
and their habitats, but are without
the most basic equipment of binoculars and field guides.
Dale Zimmerman and Carol
Fugagli are collecting working,
used binoculars to take to Kenya this summer. These
binoculars will be distributed to school children
and colleagues through a conservation organization
called Nature Kenya. Please consider donating a pair
collecting dust on your windowsill.
Single Socks is accepting your binocular donations.
Single Socks is located at 111 W College Street, Silver
City, hours: Tue. – Sat. 11:00 to 4:00. Deadline for
donating binoculars is May 15th 2017. Thank you!
Monarch workshop March 17
A Monarch Butterfly Information Sharing and
Collaboration Workshop for New Mexico
NM Monarch Workshop photo
Friday, March 17, 2017, 8:30 to 12:00 noon at Albuquerque Academy: 6400 Wyoming Blvd. NE, ABQ. Join the
Natural Resource Institute, Institute for Applied Ecology, U. S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, and Albuquerque Academy’s Desert Oasis Teaching Garden for a
unique collaborative workshop to advance Monarch
conservation in New Mexico.
Monarch migration is
well documented in the
eastern U. S. and on the
west coast, and habitat
restoration practices for
Monarch elsewhere in the
U. S. have been refined over
many years. But what about Monarchs in New Mexico?
How many do we have? Do they breed here? Migrate
through NM? Who is doing restoration for Monarchs?
What lessons have we learned? What are the conservation gaps and resources available? Are you working
with Monarch Butterflies and milkweed? We want to
hear from you !
This workshop is an opportunity to: • Meet other
Monarch and milkweed enthusiasts and exchange
information. • Participate in Monarch conservation and
citizen science. • Coordinate Monarch habitat restoration
efforts. The Workshop is free and people from all over
NM are invited! Attendance is capped at 100 participants,
so to reserve your spot or for more information: RSVP to
the Butterfly Guy, Steve Cary, at [email protected]
Birds & Brews ~
on 4th Thursdays!
BIRDS
&
BREWS
SWNM Audubon’s informal gathering in
the back room of the Little Toad Creek
Inn in Silver City continues in March
and April.
On MARCH 23, John Gorey and Emily Pollom will
talk about their time researching seabirds on the islands
of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. This
refuge is home to over 40 million seabirds and includes
some of the most diverse seabird colonies found anywhere
on Earth. Their talk will include a brief overview of bird
species on the islands, research techniques, and what
life is like on an uninhabited island in the North Pacific.
On APRIL 27, Lynn Haugen and Julian Lee will share
how they spent the last two weeks of December 2016
birding in northeastern Argentina. Their route took
them from the megalopolis of Buenos Aires in the south,
to Iguazu National Park and the Atlantic Forest in the
north of the country, the latter a biodiversity “hotspot.”
En route they searched for birds in the vicinity of the
Paraná River, and the Eberá wetlands. In addition to
snakes, lizards, turtles and various species of mammals,
they tallied 254 species of birds, representing 57 families.
We encourage you to order food and drinks to support
the Toad. Since the room capacity is limited we require
an RSVP to an email announcement of the meeting
that will be sent out about a week before the meeting.
Audubon members receive the announcement first as a
benefit of membership. If you are not a chapter member
but would like to receive notification send your email
address to [email protected]
4th Annual Southwest Birds Show
March 24th through April 21st the Grant County Art
Guild’s 4th Annual Southwest Birds Show will take place
at Bear Mountain Lodge, 60 Bear Mountain Ranch Rd.,
Silver City. This juried show is a celebration of art inspired by the birds of the southwest. Opening reception
is from 4–6pm on Friday, March 24. Meet the artists
and enjoy refreshments, live music and art. The show
will be open for viewing from 10am–5pm daily from
March 25–April 21.
Bootheel Field Trip Report
Seventeen participants went earching for birds on the
500-square-mile DiamondA Ranch in the Animas Valley
grasslands. Several people from Deming and Las Cruces
joined us as we covered Animas Valley, Animas area,
Cloverdale, Cotton City area, Lordsburg Playa and Valley
View Church. (These locations show up on eBird with
birds observed.) 48 species were seen, highlight for some
being the 5 interactive Ferruginous hawks with 2 Redtails. For others, the best was a close-up Prairie falcon,
Merlins, and of course, many Horned larks. THE BIG WEEKEND –
Celebrating International Migratory Bird Day
The International Migratory Bird Day was created
in 1993 by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center to
foster a better understanding, appreciation of migratory
birds and to raise awareness and protection of areas
critical for migratory birds. The goal was to encourage
communities to hold events celebrating the wonder and
spectacle of bird migration. In 1995 the coordination
of the event was turned over to the US Fish & Wildlife
Service and National Fish & Wildlife Foundation. The
event became so popular it required more people
dedicated to organize and coordinate the activities
throughout the western hemisphere, so was turned over
to the Environment for the Americas in 2007.
The IMBA usually takes place on the second weekend
of May. This year the focus is on stopover places the
birds require to refuel before continuing on their way
to their nesting grounds – prefect for recognizing the
importance of the Gila Forest and various riparian areas
within Grant County.
To celebrate our local migratory birds, SWNMA will
host a Big Weekend birding event. Based on the same
principles as a Big Day, individuals and teams go out
and count as many species of birds as they can. The
rules are simple:
1) you should register either as an individual or a
group
2) start time is 12:00 noon Friday May 12 and ends
at 12:00 noon Sunday May 14
3) bird only within Grant County
4) cannot go on private property unless it is a friend’s
and permission is granted. For example, the ranches in
the Gila are off limits, as is the Glenn Ranch off of Ridge
Road. You can look from the edges but do not access the
properties.
5) The Silver City Golf Course is off limits except from
the outer edge or if you’re playing golf.
The event will conclude with a Pot-Luck dinner
at Little Walnut Group Picnic area. The Pot-Luck is
cohosted with the Gila Native Plant Society.
Participants should bring a dish to share cups, plates,
utensils, your favorite beverage–if you don’t want icedtea or lemonade which will be provided. Hot-dogs will
also be provided. You may show up as early as 1:00 with
food being served at 5:00. To register contact Karen,
[email protected], 575-388-2386
Olympic Birdfest, April 7-9, 2017
The Olympic Birdfest takes place on April 7-9, 2017.
This festival is preceded by a San Juan Islands Cruise
on April 4-6; and followed by a 2-day excursion to
Neah Bay of coastal Washington April 9-11. For further
information: www.olympicbirdfest.org /sightseeing
cruise of the San Juan Islands, April 4-6. Register at
www.pugetsoundexpress.com/audubon.
FIELD TRIPS
March 4th & April 8th
PITCHFORK CIENEGA
US Route 90 and Separ Road leads us to A.T. and
Cinda Cole’s property at the southern tip of the Burros.
This is an area of ranch land steadily being restored
to native condition. The Pitchfork Ranch lies at 5100 ‘
elevation, just west of the Continental Divide. Although
mountainous, the land is primarily rolling Chihuahuan
grassland. Riparian habitat (there is usually running
surface water along at least part of the streambed)
attracts migrants and, depending on the conditions, we
may find orioles, flycatchers, warblers and more. GreatHorned owls have nested on the property and have been
seen on previous trips.
March and April are the best times to expect migrants
arriving in this part of the country.
MARCH 4th – Meet at the Fine Arts Center parking
lot at 7:00am.
APRIL 8th – Meet at the Fine Arts Center parking lot
at 6:30am.
This trip will be almost all walking, with 2-3 miles,
including possible stream crossings; dress appropriately–
bring sunscreen, water and lunch. Expect to return to
Silver City by mid-afternoon. PLEASE–NO DOGS!
Notes from Audubon in Deming
At the February Audubon in Deming meeting, Beth
Bardwell, Director of Conservation for Audubon New
Mexico was the kick-off speaker for the Your Water Your
Future series described elsewhere in this newsletter.
In her presentation, “Deming’s Water Conservation
Alternative to a Gila River Diversion,” she explained
how Deming could fill the gap between the local water
supply and future water demand by implementing a
robust water conservation program. Deming could
receive millions of dollars to implement this water
conservation alternative if the NM CAP Entity
changed the Joint Powers Agreement to allow available
federal funds to flow to community water projects.
She also discussed pending state legislation that
would strengthen representation, transparency and
accountability in water management decisions affecting
the Gila River.
SWNMAS holds Deming Audubon meetings on the
second Tuesday of the month and everyone is invited to
join us at the La Fonda restaurant at 5:15 pm.
The restaurant is located at 601 East Pine Street in
Deming. See and hear interesting meeting topics while
enjoying Deming’s Mexican food. For more information
contact us at [email protected].
Southwestern New Mexico
Audubon Society
Box 1473
Silver City, NM 88062-1473
APRIL 22
Science Matters for Earth Day
Your
Water
Your
Future
Join SWNM Audubon and Audubon NM for a free guest
speaker’s series about securing a future water supply
for you and your family while protecting the Gila River.
This series, titled Your Water Your Future, is offered at
our second Tuesday of the month program in Deming.
The talks will address the importance of a freeflowing river for the environment, people and wildlife.
The costs, benefits, feasibility, and alternatives to the
proposed Gila River diversion will be discussed. These
talks are a great opportunity for residents in the four
counties of southwest New Mexico to get involved
in how tens of millions of your taxpayer dollars will
be spent — to secure our water supply or to divert
the Gila River, New Mexico’s last free flowing river.
March 14 Martha Cooper of The Nature Conservancy
will discuss the conclusions of the Gila River Flow
Needs Assessment. This scientific report authored by 19
experts on the hydrology and ecology of the Gila River
details the importance of a free-flowing Gila River and
the potential impacts of a diversion and climate change.
April 11 Norm Gaume, former Director of the Interstate
Stream Commission and a licensed professional
engineer, will discuss the Gila River diversion need,
feasibility and water yield. Drawing from a previously
undisclosed Interstate Stream Commission model, Mr.
Guame developed a model to simulate the amount and
reliability of reservoir releases from a diversion. He will
share the model’s results as well as discuss how much
water remains in the Mimbres Basin aquifer, the source
of Deming’s municipal water supply.
May 9 “Your Guide to the National Environmental
Policy Act & the Gila River Diversion” by Todd Schulke
of the Center for Biological Diversity.
June 13 “Effects of the Gila River Diversion on Gila
River Fish” by Dave Propst, former fisheries biologist,
NM Department of Game and Fish.
All of the meetings are free and open to the public.
They begin at 5:15 PM at the La Fonda restaurant at
601 East Pine Street in Deming. For more information
contact us at [email protected].
Earth Day will be celebrated at Gough Park in Silver
City on April 22 from 10 till 2. SWNM Audubon will
be among the forty groups that gather to provide the
general public with information about the importance
of protecting our planet. The theme of this year’s annual
celebration is “Science Matters” to coincide with the
national March for Science.
As an organization that promotes citizen science,
Audubon has an important role to play in educating
the public about our mission and how they can help.
Members of Audubon have been instrumental in
providing data that has been used by scientists to show
how climate change is threatening birds. Earth Day is
a perfect time to convey our message that “Where birds
thrive – People prosper.”
Again this year the Earth Day activities will also
include the opportunity for the community to safely
dispose of papers containing personal information.
Thanks to the generous support of Freeport McMoRan,
a shredding truck will be on site to shred documents.
There will also be opportunities to recycle electronics.
Earth Day is sponsored by the Town of Silver City and
Gila Resources Information Project. For more information
contact the Office of Sustainability at 575-597-8989.
Leaks Can Run, but
They Can't Hide
Are you ready to chase down leaks? Household leaks
can waste more than 1 trillion gallons of water annually
nationwide, so each year we hunt down the drips during
Fix a Leak Week. Mark your calendars for EPA's ninth
annual Fix a Leak Week which will take place March 20
through 26, 2017, but remember that you can find and
fix leaks inside and outside your home to save valuable
water and money all year long.
Fix a Leak Week events happen from coast to coast
and are all geared to teach you how to find and fix
household leaks. See:www3.epa.gov/watersense/our_
water/fix_a_leak.html